Into Darkness
by Chocolate-Covered-Coffee-Beans
Summary: pretty much about how Dilandau came to be and Celena's experience in Ziabach.
1. Chapter 1

Into darkness

AN: First fanfic I've submitted so please be nice. Look Krissy, it has a title! Joy J! what do ya think? I really couldn't think of anything else so meh. If you've got a better title then say so! Anyways I hope you enjoy.

Prologue:

A cold gentle wind swept toward the pristine field. Innocent laughter rippled through the long silky strands of grass surrounding a sophisticated giant willow . Flowers spilled freely into the azure sky and all was happy in the world. Cotton ball clouds and cedar green grass mixed with spontaneous childhood play promised cherished memories. A twinkle could be seen in that precious little girl's eye. Merry blue with fluttering lashes, they drank in the prepossessing light making them seem all the more luminous. Her tiny gleeful giggle was contagious. All around her felt cheerful for she radiated enough joy for everyone. She was a carefree child that loved everything and everyone, but she felt the most fondness for her older brother. He was always there. Plain and simple. You see, her father left when she was quite small. She didn't really know what it was like to have a father in her life because she didn't remember anything about him. Her brother watched over her, protected her, and almost replaced the father figure she was missing in her life. Almost. Oblivious to the fact, she continued to live on blissfully until that dreary day…

She almost fell over from giggling as she fumbled clumsily up the hillside. A grin split her face in two when she tumbled onto the grass. She expected her brother to be right behind her ready to catch her. She looked behind her expectantly and her hands became clammy. The silence behind her was deafening. "Brother?" her eyes darted feverishly around her. She looked directly into the bloody sunset. The intense colours captivated her. A deep pumpkin orange illuminated her face and highlighted her pale curly locks. After a moment of letting the sunset occupy her thoughts, her eyes turned to survey the fading green field. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a ripple of shimmering light. A patch of it, just right of the declining sunset. She rubbed her eyes. Never before had she seen its like. Her first thought was that she was seeing things but she saw it again. " Brother, where are you?" she coward like the little five year old she was. Before her, the ripple of light opened like a curtain to reveal a robotic arm. She tried screaming but her throat clenched up with lack of moisture. Tears pricked her eyes, and a liquid cocoon surrounded her petit frame. She was alone, helpless, and very much afraid.

She awoke listening to herself choke out dry sobs . They had put her into this little unforgiving cell. The men with the black coats and pasty drained faces. They were the ones who brought her to this strange and frightening metallic world. They had brutally had her hair cut off . She had not a clue as to why. She kept calling out for her beloved brother and mother, but no one complied with her plea. So she cried. She cried until she had no more tears to cry but she still continued to cry. But all was not lost…

Golden light split into the room in two with a brilliant beam. The soft trod of feet coming towards her intensified her fright. As a result, she buried her face deeper into the folds of her creamy white dress. The figure knelt gently beside her. He pitied the sweet little girl. Who she was and where she came from was a complete mystery to him but he did know that he was put in charge of her care. " please don't cry. My name is Jajuka and I am here to take care of you." he smiled with sympathy. He placed the tray of food he was carrying down with a tiny clatter. The little girl turned around with large blue eyes brimming with tears. She stared at him dumfounded for a second. His face was so soft and gentle. His cocoa brown eyes were filled with trusting and understanding. " please try to eat something. They will beat me if you don't eat." no such thing would happen but he didn't want her to go hungry. She blinked away her tears in silence. She was debating whether or not she could trust him. " poor little thing, did they cut your hair?" Jajuka looked her wavy short cropped hair over. _Now why would they do that?_ The other girl children brought to the Ziabach Empire had their hair intact._ What could they possibly hope to achieve by doing that?_ The bottom of his gut froze. _They couldn't …they can't. _ He had heard rumours of a certain experiment that the sorcerers were thinking about but he dismissed all thoughts of it actually being true. The talked about experiment was just too impossible. It would never work. Jajuka tried to justify the reason for her hair being cut. It was too long, it was too unsanitary, but this feeling inside his gut kept resurfacing. He smiled kindly down at the girl. He promised himself to take an interest in her well-being. He would do his best to make certain that fate didn't befall on her. He left the room as quietly as he came, leaving the poor girl to stare at the metal tray beside her.


	2. Relative Tranquility

**AN**: I would really like to thank Krissy! Yeah, without her I'd be a chicken running around with my head cut off. I really am clueless when it comes to computers. So this chappie is for her because she's such a great friend. Yep

**Into Darkness**

**Chapter 2: Relative Tranquility **

_A few months later…._

Jajuka carefully marched down the windy corridors with a tray in hand. His brow was creased with worry for the little girl under his care. _I hope the examination went well. I hope she's still well. _ He said a tiny prayer of hope inside his head as he unlocked her door. The lock lurched open with a metallic grind and he stepped into the room. Jajuka let go of a breath that he'd unconsciously been holding.

" There you are Jajuka!" Te little girl stood smiling happily at the beastman's entrance. " You're three minutes late!" She ran over to him giggling along the way and gave him a warm hug. Jajuka patted her head fondly. He tried to take a step forward to place the tray of food onto her table but she was hanging onto him stubbornly.

" Celena !" He laughed. " Let go of me for just a second. I need to put this down." She giggled in reply and complied. Still smiling, Jajuka placed the tray down onto the table. " Alright here you go, breakfast is served." He pulled a chair out for her thoughtfully. She wiggled onto the chair and started to dig in. Jajuka rolled his eyes and pushed her chair in. " Why are you in such a rush today?" He sat down on the chair next to her.

Celena forced words out of her mouth between mouthfuls of food. Jajuka shook his head in dismay. He couldn't understand a word she was saying. "Chew ,Swallow ,then talk." He lectured.

Celena gulped down the food she was munching on. " We're going out to the garden today right? I really want to visit the garden today. Can we? I've been really good. The sorcerers were very pleased with me. They said that I was just what they were looking for. Please?" She smiled brightly and waited patiently for an answer.

Jajuka's face became quite grave. " What were they so pleased about Celena? What were they looking for?"

She shrugged. "They didn't say, what's the matter Jajuka?" her eyes became wide when she noticed his distress.

_Surely they won't start the experiment soon. She's just too young. How much time do I have to find her family? _ He knew that she had a brother and mother but he didn't know her family name. He didn't even know where she used to live. There were thousands of Allens out there in Gaea. A search for her family would be futile. He really wanted to help her escape this wretched fate. To be experimented on and mutilated for the rest of her life. This was not the kind of life she deserved.

" Listen to me Celena. I will try to get you out of here. You are not safe here. I will try my best to get you back to your family safe." his soft eyes welled up with compassionate tears. Celena looked about ready to cry as well. " You don't belong here." he whispered gently. He fought hard to keep the tears back.

Celena placed her small hand on his large furry one. " Don't cry Jajuka. I'll be alright. I will see my brother and mother again. I just know I will."

Jajuka looked down at her tiny pale hand. _ You really are a wonderful child, Celena. I'm sure you'll get through this. I'll see to that._

**AN**: Kinda short but meh. I'll try to update soon. Toddles!


End file.
